Education as it applies to Trout Unlimited

The development of a trout fisherman has as many meanders and bends as the rivers they fish. Some begin their education at a young age high in mountain headwaters while others wait until later in life after many tributaries have joined the river. Some may take up this sport late in life when the river enters a gentle meadow as a means to relax and enjoy a retirement. North Carolina Trout Unlimited can be found at all along the course of life’s river.

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) and Rivercourse are found in the headwaters and use different types and styles of education to reach the younger generation. Almost all of these are hands on and encourage the student to use critical thinking to reach their conclusions. Water quality and how it impacts trout is the focus of TIC. Rivercourse takes those students that have developed an affection for the environment, trout and the outdoors and offers a 5 day youth camp that teaches fly tying, fly casting, entomology, conservation and resource management.

Further downstream, after a few tributaries have joined the river, is the 5 Rivers college outreach program which is designed to encourage trout fishing and develop the skills, knowledge and build a basis for a lifelong commitment to the conservation of our cold water and an enjoyment of our sport.

The local Chapter is often where the gradient of the river is less and access along the banks may be a little easier. Here you’ll find fly tying classes, fishing outings, programs at Chapter meetings by guides and highly skilled peers to assist in your continuing education. Here is where your basic skills are built upon and polished into a skill set that allows you to compete with another life form that has a brain the size of a pea and occasionally you may win.